Poetrying
Action, 2009
Poetrying - active poetry training - tries to create a new open dialogue by using the forgotten basic creative resources – poetry.
Unlike conventional, dry and elitist academic closed up art-playground approaches towards poetry, Poetrying presents a new way of creating, hearing and reading poetry, combining east-European poetry festivals and west-European open mike traditions with cabaret show and pop-concert.
Poetryers are from marginalized and vulnerable groups of different socio-cultural backgrounds, passive and active ones, rural and urban, sub cultural and already recognized, same and unlike, kitchen wisdoms and garage notices...
This way authors and the public are confronting themselves with the various stereotypes, prejudices, diversities and contrasts, past and present, and provoking new answers and questions.
In Riga Skart group will scout and invite participants for the Riga Poetrying show.
New Embroideries / (Kitchen Wisdoms)
Action
speak less:
Embroideries, the first public “personal billboard” placed above the kitchen range, spoke in the past (end of XIX century - World War II) in the name of house-wife and their position in the family and society. Darling-waiting + dinner-making. The best-known one, kind of “manifest of passivism”, says: SPEAK LESS, COOK-WIFE - YOU NEED TO LEARN, SO YOUR LUNCH DOESN’T BURN.
speak up:
New made ones are “not telling as things NEED TO BE, but as things ARE”. Lenka Zelenovic, fired worker and single-mother, became well known author of these kitchen wisdoms, presenting them on worldwide exhibitions and poetry shows. Nowadays she is doing diary-embroideries, including all personal and outdoor side-roles which are making her embroideries so intrigue and unpredictable (subjects are switching from comments about her possessive old mother to fired worker’s struggles or political daily news).
IN THE FACTORY - QUITE ON THE STREET - RIOT is one of her comments.
male-female:
Male embroidery group started in 2007 with public actions, provoking comments about male-female role in the society.
In Riga, group of male-embroidery-beginners will make their street situations and ask passers-by to join the action.